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12 April 1908 — Rome | |
Sunday. 12th [April 1908]. As I had to be at Queen Margherita’s at 12 for lunch I did not go to church as I could not have got away in time. However on getting to the Queen’s I found I had to wait a little while as she was not back from mass. There was only her household besides myself. Msa Villamarina & her daughter Mini, Ct Guiccioli & Ct del Grillo. I took the Queen an Easter Egg, a wooden one I had bought at the Russian Bazaar & in it a small specimen of Princess Louise Augusta’s enamelling a pen rest– When I explained to her who it was & how unhappy her marriage had been, H.M. said “Oh I know. The Kaiser has a way of making a marriage which may turn out happy on the contrary. He pushes a couple into a room, shuts the door on them & says “You must do it, I give you ten minutes to arrange it all,” & in this case it was not a success.” She talked about the English Suffragettes & spoke of Lady Aberdeen & asked me what sort of person she was, & when I said she was very excitable & fussing she said Oh mais elle est très bien.” She spoke of yesterday’s concert at our Embassy & said she thought the playing very correct & good but wanting in fire. She said she regretted Lady Egerton should be leaving Rome but asked me if Sir Edwin was supposed to be very clever! I said I did not know but he was very good & charming. After lunch the Queen took my arm, as she did on going in, to return to the drawing room. There we sat as we used when I stayed with her 3 years ago opposite the clock that strikes the chimes of Big Ben in London—& they all smoked & talked & Mini made the coffee in a new fashion they had learnt in Belgium while motoring last year. Each cup has a little filter on it in wh the coffee is placed & boiling water poured into it. By the time the coffee is made it is not very hot & I prefer the usual old way. The Queen asked me if I had seen Gibson’s caricatures & on my saying “no” she got up & found several books of them & had them brought for me to see. They proved to be all caricatures of American life & especially on the marriages of A. girls with English & other men for titles. I rather longed to add “& made for becoming princesses”—considering that a Miss Elkins of U.S. is said to be engaged to the Duke of Abruzzi & it is the great talk of the moment. It is now positively affirmed that the King of Italy has given his consent to it. The King’s marriage was almost a misalliance & this will be quite one. It is a bad look out for Italy! she is too young a country to venture on these ways. I looked through several of the books with the Queen—she holding the book with me. At 2 o’clock she rose & took leave saying she hopes to see me in July at Gressoney. She leaves this eveng for Turin to be back here on Thursday. I returned at once to the Embassy, changed my dress & with Olga “Micky & John” went for a drive in the motor of Mr Whitaker. He took us down the Appian way which is always interesting– Unluckily the weather was overcast & misty. When the road became too bad we took a cross road wh brought us into the New Appian way. We passed the place where the races were going on. It is the “Derby Day” of Rome. There were long rows of carriages waiting for people who had gone in to see the race. We went on past Castel Gandolfo & Arricia nearly to Genzano—on the road we stopped & gathered large bunches of blue anemones, violets & periwinkles. Then it came on to rain & for the return journey we had to have the hood up. Got back at 5 & had schoolroom tea with the boys. Afterwards I went to pay Mr Herbert a visit in his rooms near the chancery which was not yet furnished– So far he has one table, with lots of books & a sofa on wh I sat. Olga dined out– Mr & Mrs Erskine & Mr Phipps & Mr Herbert dined. | |
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